Stone

Stone abides. It instantiates the solidity of the earth underneath our feet. It endures. Or does it too evolve and change into something else? The following images represent some of the examples that you will find discussed in Macauley’s interstice on Stone. Chose an image to offer a comment upon. What does stone connote to you?

Who are these silent heads, watching out over the ocean? For what are they looking?

6 Responses to Stone

One picture that caught my eye immediately was that of the Kaaba (the giant cube thing with people walking around it). I watched a documentary on the Hajj from the perspective of an American woman who converted to Islam. This Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca to meet this stone monument is beautiful. To see people from literally all over the world gathering to come to this one site, the holiest site to Muslims, is amazing. You don’t really see people from many other religions make a gathering this big.

The image that caught my attention the most was the image of the mountain with the fog surrounding it, but it was the caption that really captured my attention. I enjoy thinking about whether these people were trying to escape their world by going higher and higher. Then in thinking about the mountain itself is when I thought about stone. I like to speak in contradictions and this is no different for stone. I see stone as this strong immovable element, yet I also see it a breakable and fragile. Stones like that mountain stretch up towards the sky, but so easily they can crumble and fall to the earth. A stone on the outside looks strong and unbreakable but can be easily shattered into fragments of its former self. I like to think that thinking of anything this way makes it more real and tangible than giving it one extreme or the other.

After reading the Interstices: Stone by David Macauley, I think the picture in the top left, best represents how I felt about the reading. Prior to reading the chapter, I had not thought of stone as a major element and quite frankly didn’t understand what all the hype was about. After reading the passage, I realized how monumental stone was in earlier civilizations such as the Mayas, Incas, etc. The first picture shows some ancient structures which were created from stone by these civilizations. It is truly a remarkable sight to see what people thousands of year ago built from this underrated element. To this day, I am still fascinated by how scientist/geologists can look at a piece of rock or stone and determine what the era from which it came from was like. In my opinion, stone almost serves as a bridge between the present and past and allows us to realize many things about earlier civilizations that other elements wouldn’t tell us. These are all reasons why stone is one of my favorite elements at this point!

The picture that I found most intriguing was the picture of Easter Island with the stone heads. After reading Macauley’s writing on stone I picture the element to look how the image displays: silent eyes watching the earth. Also, the fact that the heads are looking out to the ocean can symbolize protection. Stones which are stable (for the most part) act as a foundation and protection for many. The heads are faced toward the ocean to symbolize their protection over the land. Even the fact that the heads have mouths are symbolic of stone’s voice. Although stone cannot speak verbally, it can speak in many other ways. Not only can we read stone through its physical appearance, but also in the way it affects our culture. Agriculture, economies, and even religious practices have been centered around stone. It is important to remember stone with the image of the stone heads in mind; it sees everything that goes on within the world. We should not as a culture discredit stone, for it silently watches the world around us.

Like Gabrielle, I am also most interested by the images of the stone heads from Easter Island, particularly the close up one where you can really see the detail in it. When I was in this program in elementary school, we spent a whole week covering mysteries of the world like the Loch Ness Monster and (more related to the topic) Easter Island. This was in 3rd or 4th grade and I’ve really been fascinated by it ever since. We read all sorts of short stories and poems on the stone heads of Easter Island, and even wrote a few ourselves (though my memory on this is vague now). To me, stone symbolizes protection with its hard, seemingly unbreakable exterior. The stone heads of Easter Island really further symbolize protection for me as the heads facing out protect the island from outside danger.

Out of all the pictures posted, the one that catches my eye the most would be the picture with the three Easter Island statues. These statues, to me atleast, seem to have two possible premises. I feel that the people that created these mysterious and awesome statues did it to intimidate outsiders from attacking or invading them. I also feel that these statues may be symbols of Gods worshipped by people who lived on the island many years ago. Whether my guesses are correct or not, either way, these statues are truly impressive. Personally, stone makes me think of two different ideas: I feel that stone can symbolize obstacles that block our paths throughout life, and because they are stiff and hard, will make these obstacles difficult to overbear. I also, like Ryan mentioned, feel that stone can symbolize protection. Buildings in Europe were and still are made in stone and rock, a true defense to outside weather and other things that have the potential to hurt the comfort inside the walls.